Chodské pivo

Appearance & taste

The pale beers have a distinctly golden-yellow colour. Chodské pivo has a full, malty flavour, a slightly bitter note, great drinkability and a rich head. According to the specification, these characteristics are due to the two-stage fermentation, the long maturation, the choice of raw materials, the soft water and the absence of artificial carbon dioxide.

Production

Only malt, hops, water and yeast are used. The water comes from springs with a very low mineral content (about 1.6 °dH), owing to the granite bedrock; according to the specification, it hardly reacts with the other raw materials and brings out the full malt flavour. The malt for pale and dark beer is made locally using the traditional method, with germination on the malting floor and drying in the kiln; the two-row malting barley comes from the area. Only Czech aroma and bitter varieties are used as hops.

The wort is made in a two-stage mashing process: twice, part of the mash is heated to 70 to 75 °C, saccharified, boiled for 20 minutes and returned; mashing off takes place at 75 to 78 °C. The main fermentation with bottom-fermenting yeast runs at 6 to 9 °C, after which the young beer finishes fermenting in lager tanks at 2 to 6 °C under slight pressure. It is filled without artificial addition of CO₂. Brewing, fermentation and lagering take place exclusively in the area.

Origin & history

Chodsko lies in today’s Plzeň Region and borders Bavaria from the Všerubský Pass over the Tillenberg (Dyleň) to the Bohemian Forest and its hill country; the boundaries follow the municipal cadastres.

According to the specification, the brewing tradition goes back to the 12th century. A document of King John of Luxembourg from 1341 concerns beer brewing in Chodsko, and the beer used to be supplied to Prague and to the Bavarian royal court. Until 1945 more than 60 breweries were in operation in the region on the Czech-Bavarian border.